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1928 PHOTO PRESS RELEASES: SS ROBERT E LEE RUN AGROUND MASSACHUSETTS FP429
Four different press photos covering the same event--the SS Robert E Lee aground in Massachusetts.
From Wikipedia:SSRobert E. Leewas a steampassenger shipbuilt for theEastern Steamship Linesin 1924.It sank on 30 July 1942 after being torpedoed by the German submarineU-166on its return toNew Orleans.SSRobert E. Leewas built inNewport News, Virginia, and finished construction in 1924. The ship had akeellength of 375 feet (114m), abeamlength of 54 feet (16m), and a depth of 29 feet (8.8m). The ship was constructed to primarily transport passengers betweenVirginiaandNew York.
On 30 July 1942,Robert E. LeeleftTrinidadwith around 270 passengers bound forTampa, Florida. She initially traveled with convoyTAW-7, but was soon diverted toNew Orleansalong with thesubmarine chaserUSSPC-566.
At 22:37, a singletorpedowas fired at the ship byU-166. The torpedo was spotted by lookouts 200 yards (180m) away, but no evasive action was able to be taken.The torpedo struck just aft of the engine room and destroyed the #3hold. Further damage was also done to the radio compartment and the steering gear.
The ship began to list to port, and then starboard, before finally sinking by the stern about 15 minutes after the torpedo hit.Of the 407 crewmen and passengers, 15 passengers and 10 crewmen died in the sinking. The survivors were rescued by the patrol boatsUSSPC-566andUSSSC-19, and thetugUnderwriter, and they were transported without incident toVenice, Louisiana.
Following completion,Robert E. Leewas placed in passenger-cargo service betweenNorfolk, Virginia, andNew York City. In the winter months, she was employed in service between New York andBoston, Massachusetts. She would continue working these routes until after the outbreak ofWorld War IIin 1939.
In February 1942,Robert E. Leewascharteredby theAlcoa Steamship Companyto transport goods and personnel from New York to ports located in theCaribbean. One month later, she was contracted by theWar Shipping Administrationas afreight carrierand was subsequently armed with astern gunanddegaussedto preventmagnetic mineattacks.___
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